Entries are open for the British Guild of Beer Writers’ annual awards. The deadline is 2nd September. This year’s competition offers entrants a choice of 16 categories — the highest-ever — and the chance to share in a £17,500 prize fund.
Winners at the 2021 awards dinner. Photograph: British Guild of Beer Writers
Two new awards are being launched, for best communication about diversity in beer, and best communication about Cider. The latter follows the guild’s decision to broaden its remit to support cider.
At the same time, several categories have been reshaped to better reflect the way writers and others communicate about beer and pubs.
All category winners, runners-up, and the overall beer writer of the year, as well as brewer of the year, will be announced at the guild’s annual awards dinner, taking place on 23rd November at One Great George Street in London.
All entries will be judged on how well they further the guild’s mission “to extend public knowledge and appreciation of beer and pubs”. Judging is carried out by a panel o,f writers, communicators and industry experts, chaired by Pete Brown, the current beer writer of the year.
Guild chair Emma Inch said: “We are delighted to be running our annual awards, with more categories than ever and a generous prize fund for our winners.
“Despite the challenges for our industry over the last couple of years, support for the competition has been unwavering, both from the brewers and others who sponsor the awards, and from the communicators who enter their work.
“We’d urge anyone who communicates about beer, pubs, or cider to look out their best writing, audio, video, or other communication from the last 12 months and enter. The awards are open to all, and all have an equal chance of winning.”
She added: “In addition, we’re thrilled to be returning to One Great George Street for our awards presentation and dinner, which has become a ‘must attend’ in the industry calendar, with bars provided by our sponsor brewers, wonderful food matched with beers, and the company of around 200 guild members and industry friends.”
This year’s judging panel includes: Mitch Adams, beer sommelier and beer buyer at Euroboozer; Molly Davis, head of communications at the BII; Claire Dodd, travel and drinks writer; Matt Eley, communications consultant and former editor of Inapub magazine; Fergus Fitzgerald, production director at Adnams; Kelly McCarthy CBII, licensee of the Old Sun Inn in Yorkshire; John Mitchinson, co-founder of crowdfunding publishers Unbound; Ned Palmer, cheesemonger and author; and Michelle Perrett, industry journalist and communications expert.
After initial judging, the guild will publish a shortlist for all categories in November, and winners and runners-up for each will be unveiled at the awards dinner. One category winner will go on to win the overall beer writer of the year award, and the guild also will also name its brrewer of the year, sponsored by SIBA, based on votes cast by guild members.
Tickets for the awards dinner, open to guild members and industry friends, will go on sale on the guild website later this year.
Full details of all categories, and advice on how to submit entries, can be found on the guild’s website. Entries must be received via the dedicated entry website by the closing date of 2nd September. Work submitted must have been published between 1st September, 2021, and 31st August, 2022.
